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THE SUCCESS of home safety visits and community fire prevention work by fire and rescue services in England has been underlined by an independent study.
According to the research, the £25m funding for home fire risk checks (HFRCs), provided by the government for 2004-2008, plus the £11.4m of fire prevention grants (FPGs), given in 2006-2008, has contributed to major reductions in fire deaths and injuries.
The funding has enabled fire services to carry out HFRCs in some 2 million homes over four years, fitting more than 2.4m smoke alarms free of charge in vulnerable house- holds and giving fire safety advice to occupants.
It is estimated that HFRCs have accounted for a 57% decrease in the number of accidental fire deaths – saving 53 lives per year. The visits have also helped to reduce the number of fire injuries in the home by 888 and contributed to 13,670 fewer fires each year.
The study also examined the impact of FPGs, concluding that they have helped the fire service to develop innovative ways of reaching vulnerable groups. The grants have increased community fire safety work and allowed fire services to better target their activities, illustrated by the examples of creative initiatives included in the research report.
Final Evaluation of the Home Fire Risk Check Grant and Fire Prevention Grant Programmes (Fire Research 2/2009) is available via www.communities.gov.uk/fire
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